Scalinata dei Borgia
by Royalty Over Reality
Summary: "The poison must be setting in." Even after Utena has left Ohtori Academy, she's still thinking about Anthy and Akio. When she finds herself in Rome, she discovers that she can't run away from the past...or from magic. (Sort of) written for The Empty Movement Monthly Writing Prompt.


In the beginning, Akio and Anthy had decided that Utena was something to be shared. The realization hit Utena time and time again, like a bird that crashes into a window but never breaks through. She'd seen that happen once, in the middle of a math test. She had been so distracted that she couldn't focus, and she ended up failing. She was always that bird, even back then. She had felt it in her heart when everyone else kept working on their tests. No one had even bothered to turn around to see what the sound had been.

Now, Utena was far away from that school. She was living in Italy, Rome, to be exact. She had been living with her aunt ever since she got expelled from Ohtori Academy. Her aunt's job as an interior designer meant trips to every corner of the world. Aunt Yurika was busy with work most of the time, which allowed Utena to explore whatever new, exotic locale she was living in that month. By the time that Utena and her Aunt moved again, Utena was usually familiar enough with the place to know her way around. She never stayed long enough to find anywhere that she could truly call home.

Currently, Utena had been in Rome for three weeks. She had visited most of the major tourist attractions, but there were still things she hadn't seen. When she had first started living with her aunt, she had been very invested in trying to do and see everything the travel guides said she had to every time they moved somewhere new. After a while, all of the crowded old buildings started to feel the same for Utena. She knew that she was lucky to have the opportunity to see so many famous places. But she started only going to places that struck her interest. She thought that it would make her happier, but it didn't.

Nothing seemed to be able to do that. It wasn't as though she felt sad all of the time. But no matter where she went, or how many beautiful sights she saw, Utena always felt empty. Maybe she missed Anthy. Or she wanted closure. She didn't know which one it was. All she knew was that even though years had passed since she left Ohtori Academy, Utena couldn't forget about Anthy Himemiya.

Or her brother, Akio. Utena probably would have been fine carrying around the memory of an old friend for the rest of her life, even if she would never see Anthy again. Going about her life was difficult, knowing that Akio and Anthy were probably living as they had been since...Utena wasn't sure when. It could have easily been centuries. That didn't do anything to ease Utena's discomfort.

She still saw their faces everywhere, even though she doubted that either of them had left Ohtori Academy. She hoped that Anthy would one day find the strength to leave, but there was no way for Utena to know. Neither girl had a cell phone, and Utena barely even had a permanent address. Besides, there wasn't anywhere for Anthy to go, if she did leave Ohtori. Aside from Utena, the only person Anthy had to rely on was Akio.

Had Anthy even been able to rely on her? Utena wondered that more than she probably should have. She had tried her best to be someone that Anthy could depend on, but that didn't automatically mean that Anthy was going to trust her enough to do that. Or to care about her enough to even want her.

Utena knew that now, but she couldn't forget about Anthy. Or Akio. Standing at the foot of a pale, stone staircase, Utena swore she could see their silhouettes. Both their shadows were cast the ancient stone walls beneath the ivy-drenched archway in front of her. They were locked in an embrace far too passionate for a pair of siblings. But without any of the intimacy that one would expect from two lovers. Utena wanted to look away, but she didn't. She had seen the two of them in more compromising positions than that before. Besides, she wasn't even sure that it was Anthy and Akio that she was seeing.

Utena walked up the stairs and underneath the archway, fully expecting to two strangers casting shadows on the wall. However, when Utena reached the point of the stairway that the two people should have been standing at, she saw no one. The shadows were still there, in spite of that. The girl was standing on her toes so she could whisper into the man's ear. Even though she was only a shadow, Utena could hear her voice.

"The poison must be setting in."

It was undeniably Anthy's voice. Utena was sure of it, but she didn't see Anthy anywhere nearby. Neither was Akio. Yet there were both of their shadows, being cast up against the wall like demonic illusions cast by that damned planetarium projector.

"This isn't real!" Utena cried.

Her words bounced off the walls, but they didn't scatter the shadows.

"What's not real?"

Utena heard Anthy's voice once more, but this time it wasn't just a sinister, echoey whisper coming from the shadow on the walls. It was the voice she'd heard thousands of times before, the voice she didn't realize she'd forgotten until now. She turned towards the foot of the stairs to see Anthy standing there, dressed in pink with her hair flying free beneath a white beret.

"These shadows on the wall," Utena said, pointing. "Can you see them too?"

Anthy did not question anything that Utena had said, even though Utena was sure that anyone else would have. Instead, Anthy walked up the stairs and stopped at Utena's side.

Anthy stared intently at the shadows on the wall. They started to dance underneath the power of her gaze, twirling around like two figurines in the center of a music box. Utena wasn't watching them move, though. Her eyes were locked on Anthy.

"Is that you and…" Utena trailed off.

"No," Anthy said. "Those are the Borgia's. They've been dead for centuries."


End file.
